Mercy. Mercy. Have pity.

Huddled against the hallway walls. Staying in the shadows. Hiding from that flickering light in the other room.

Just when you think it’s over:

Candy gone. Pounding of little feet ceased. Porch light off.

The tornado is on the other side of town, the flooded streets draining, and the big storm isn’t due in until midnight…

Yet the horror – the horror – continues:

Back to back political campaign ads – each attacking more viciously – with more insinuation and less truth – than the last – bookending shorter than normal TV show segments

Who knew one day we’d be longing for those “My Pillow” and shower replacement commercials.

A power outage wouldn’t be too bad….

As a bit of lighthearted distraction from the ghoulish reality, a few old fashion holiday cards revealing a different Halloween tradition: Less walking dead, no gory wounds, no fattening candy with this tradition. No chance of this catching on. Is there?

Happy Holler-Ring!

Phil, the Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge

Playing with fire? (USPD/Commons.wikimedia.org)

Mother knows best? (and she’s got eyes in the back of her head…monsterous idea!)(USPD/Commons.wikimedia.org)

Lucky for him there was no social media? (USPD/Commons.wikimedia.org)

If wishes were horses…(USPD/Commons.wikimedia.org)

Inside this elegant vintage card is a handwritten note: “‘Now tell me truly, do you think that girl was me, When she [illegible] so high with a ‘soldier [m]an’ in an aeroplane?” (USPD/Commons.wikimedia.org)

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22 Comments

I love these vintage cards! You’re right: they’re attractive on their own, but they’re a blessed relief from whatever it is we’re being subjected to in these last days. There are a couple of ads on radio that make me think the candidates associated with them must not have heard them — if they had, they surely would have pulled them. Or not. I suppose that’s part of what we’re dealing with.

Of course, Tuesday won’t be the end. It only will be the next chapter in the on-going struggle to the death that some seem dedicated to. Maybe we need to start looking for vintage Thanksgiving cards!

It didn’t stop after the last election, so what hope. It used to be one side lost and one won, and everyone shrugged and said “guess we’ll have to live with it until next time” and went on about their business. Just ridiculous. You can’t get away from those darn ads anywhere – and more vicious/less truthful than ever. At one time candidates would have had the decency to pull some of them – sad world.
These cards are from 1900-1930’s reflecting the era of seances and Ouija Boards – both for adults, not children then. adults did seem to have a sense of humor still. Poor Thanksgiving – even Dia de los Muertos seems to be getting more attention – they are putting Santa’s throne up in the local mall. (I think it’s time to head for the hills – or beaches…) Thanks for adding some groans to the comment basket

Needing to stay up to date with flooding, tornado warnings, we watch some tv – but when it’s not stormy, it’s great to be able to record it so you can skip the boring or annoying parts. Thanks for haunting this place

Those cards are all scary in their own right. Better to deal with imaginary monsters than some of those reflections. Or the current political climate, with the hurricane just on the other side of town and approaching quickly with no help from FEMA.

People have different focuses during different eras. These from the early 1900’s portray a time when seances and Ouija Boards were taken seriously. The cards are/were meant to give chuckles I think – people used to have more of a sense of humor about things.
Until you deal with disasters, you don’t know what a joke and scam FEMA is. So many still years later trying to get help from hurricanes here and in Florida/NJ – wild fire recovery – all the pieces do not come back together quickly – people don’t realize. Until we can take care of our won – our neighbors – how can we absorb so many from other places? There’s a couple of old tales about a cobblers’ child has no shoes because he’s so busy with others and the carpenter’s wife’s home is in disrepair because he’s fixing others’ while neglecting his own. Might be time to pay attention to some of the old fashion wisdom. Scary how humans seem to keep reinventing the wheel.
Thanks for shoo-ing off the ghosts

Hollywood took that old benign trick and turned it into terror of so many movies/horror stories. As a little kid, I avoided mirrors at night – who knows what could leak through front that parallel universe?
Thanks for adding a reflective comment

ooh, sometimes when I get up to pee in the middle of the night, I get a little nervous in front of the bathroom mirror! And I never have said, “Candy Man” five times while looking in the mirror (dumb movie anyways, but why take a chance?)

It’s nice to redirect towards more entertaining ideas. These cards were from the early 1900’s when seances and Ouija Boards were common for adult parties..and taken seriously. Common life of past times is interesting…(not interested in recreating the necessity of all that ironing – the horrors!)
Thanks for leaving a timeless comment

“Come do the dishes now and don’t be absurd.” lol! I love the vintage cards, and they are much more entertaining than the campaign ads. I voted early this year. I usually don’t, liking the tradition of voting on the appointed election day. I found that voting early made me less likely to pay any attention to the political ads. I don’t believe they influence me, but I think they get on my nerves much less now that I’ve cast my votes.

I voted early, too. Trying to run away from the noise ever since!
The cards seemed really cool – a little gloms of life then. Smiles and laughter are timeless even if the fashions change. Thanks for adding a reflecting comment

Halloween certainly seems to be a big ‘thing’ in America, the big stores are trying to establish it here in Australia, thankfully they’re not having much luck at the moment, but no doubt they’ll keep trying.
Anything to rip more money out of the pockets of the poor.
That’s the trouble with all the celebrations now, it’s just about how much money the big stores and those not so big can squeeze out of our pockets. There is no meaning in anything now just $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$, and more $$$$$$$$$$$$$.
Getting cynical in my dotage ??